Rome Must Perish

"Siris... Siris..." The young boy beside him murmured several times before picking up a pen to write. After finishing, he handed it to Siris.

The boy in front of him explained, "Remember, this will be your name from now on!"

"My name?"

"Yes, you are called Siris. That's how it is written," the boy explained seriously.

Siris understood. He stared at the small, magical symbols on the large piece of "cloth," feeling a bit excited, because from birth until now, no one had ever told him his name was written like this, so he tried hard to remember it.

But the boy took back the "cloth" and began to ask him in detail about his situation: age, past experiences, beliefs, family, status in the tribe, special skills...

Especially the "skills" part, the boy asked carefully and patiently explained.

Siris thought seriously: In his youth, he could serve people, but that shouldn't count as a skill. Later, he participated in many years of war and became a warrior of the tribe due to youth and luck, but obviously still couldn't compare with the few Nix Soldiers who won against the odds. After that, he spent more than a decade peacefully in the tribe...

So Siris's answer was—farming.

While one boy was asking, another boy was diligently writing based on Siris's responses. After finishing the questions, they proceeded to register his wife as a tribesman, and finally asked the couple to leave their fingerprints on the prepared register.

"You can go back," the middle-aged man said with a smile, "After some time, the tribe will send someone to bring you to the Dana Temple to pray. Once the oath is completed and the temple's imprint is stamped on this register, you will be reserve tribe members of the Nix Tribe!"

"Don't you need to ask about my child?" Siris asked, concerned, pointing to his son.

"No need," the middle-aged man replied, "Earlier, when we asked you and your wife, we already recorded your child's information. When he comes of age, we'll register him separately."

"Uh..." The boy who had asked questions before interrupted, "Your child is over six years old; you can send him to the tribe's school to study. This way, he can also write and count like us in the future."

Siris was greatly motivated. In his youth, when he served the Stag master, he had seen Druid Priests performing rituals with these magical symbols, which even the noble Skodisqi Nobles could not accomplish. Seeing the two boys writing with ease surprised him greatly.

"If my son can also do that, wouldn't his status in the Nix Tribe be like those Druid Priests?..." Siris thought incredulously and asked, "This writing... can we let our child learn it too?!"

"Now that you're basically a reserve tribe member of the Nix Tribe, your child naturally has the right to study at the tribal school. However—" the middle-aged man said kindly, "Studying at school requires a small fee every year, but it's not high. His family was also reserve tribesmen before—"

The middle-aged man pointed to the boy beside him, "They could afford it. I heard the tribe is preparing to build a school in the Main Camp here, but we need to stabilize the situation quickly. Otherwise, with unstable living conditions, would you dare let your child go to school?"

Siris paused and turned to the boy who had asked him questions earlier, "May I ask... you are also Segestica, right?"

Unexpectedly, the boy became a bit excited upon hearing this, "I am not, I am Nix! My parents were formerly Segestica, but now they are Nix tribe members! Nix is much better than Segestica!"

The middle-aged man immediately reminded, "Karsis, you forgot what I told you again, to speak politely with people, not impatiently, to avoid affecting their impression of our tribe."

"I... I'm sorry."

"It's okay, you'll get used to it after a few more tries. You're already doing well; when I started, I wasn't as good as you," the middle-aged man humbly encouraged, "We must hurry and call the next one."

"Yes." The boy named Karsis regained his spirit and shouted loudly, "Next!"

Siris saw this scene, and it was as if he saw a father guiding his child. Yet, in reality, it was an invading Segestica man and a Segestica youth interacting so harmoniously and naturally, which left him somewhat touched.

His mind was filled with thoughts, and he stood there dazedly until reminded by the middle-aged man, leading his wife and child outside.

Before they reached the courtyard gate, someone called from behind, "Please wait a moment!"

Siris instinctively turned around, seeing a Nix man in armor waving at him. He remembered this person was likely called Starks, the leader of the Nix Soldiers.

He cautiously asked, "Are you calling me?"

Starks replied in clumsy Illyrian, "Yes, I need to talk to you... Come with me to chat inside."

He hesitated slightly, then let his wife and child wait outside the courtyard, following Starks into the main house's hall.

As soon as they sat down, Starks got straight to the point, asking, "Would you be willing to serve as the temporary supervisor of this village, working for the Nix Tribe?"

When Siris heard this, he immediately felt relieved: Turns out, it wasn't to trouble him.

Then he curiously asked, "What is a temporary supervisor?"

"It's about helping us manage this village, ensuring good communication with the people here, trying to avoid unnecessary conflict between us and your tribesmen, so everyone can stably get through this special period."

"Why me?"

"Yesterday, another team of our Third Legion came to your village to rescue Skodisqi slaves. They mentioned you specifically after returning, so the Legion Commander asked me to pay attention to you. Just now, I listened to you introduce yourself: from ordinary tribe members, you have prestige in the tribe, you don't harbor much hatred towards the Skodisqi people, and you were one of the few who voluntarily joined us in this village. You're indeed the best candidate for the temporary supervisor position."

Starks sincerely persuaded, "Let me tell you honestly, I heard from our Legion Commander that although this temporary supervisor is just temporary, if you perform well in this position, Leader Maximus will surely value you, because the tribe needs capable people like you to help manage so many reserve tribe members, just like Emmerich before—"

"Emmerich?..." Siris felt the name was somewhat familiar.

"He was once a Skodisqi slave in your Segestica Tribe, renowned for his medical skills, respected among the previous batch of Skodisqi Reserve Tribes. The leader soon appointed him as the Medical Officer, and now he is the tribe's priest. If you excel, you could also be promoted to tribe official during your period as reserve tribe members, making it easier to—"

"Okay, I agree." Siris responded straightforwardly before Starks finished speaking, momentarily stunning Starks: "Are you sure you want to be the temporary supervisor?"

"I am sure!" Siris replied with determination.

In his youth, Siris risked his life, becoming a warrior of the tribe, yet due to his ordinary background, had been suppressed by the clan leader for over a decade. While he wasn't sure of the meaning of "official," he remembered Emmerich—formerly a Druid slave doctor in the Segestica Tribe, frequently commanded by the tribe members, now a respected Nix Tribe priest. He too wanted to seize this opportunity to change his fate in the latter half of his life and provide a better future for his child.

"Good, let's settle it then!" Starks said with a thigh slap, smiling broadly, "First take your wife and child home, arrange your household affairs, and then come back here; we will start working together."

Siris walked out of the courtyard, suddenly feeling the sky much bluer today, the air fresher, taking a deep breath.

His wife met him with concern, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"What did they tell you?"

"It's good news, let's talk about it at home." Siris said with a smile, softly to his wife, then took his son's hand and headed home.

As they passed the queue, someone called out, "Siris, are you done? How did it go?"

"It's simple. Once you're inside, sit tight, answer questions honestly, and there's nothing to worry about. They're very nice people," Siris reassured.

"Hearing you say that, I feel relieved."

"It's not just hearing my words; once you come out, you'll be Nix tribesmen, then you'll surely be at ease!"

"Right! Right! Siris, you're right!" That person nodded frequently, and others chimed in with agreement, smiles blooming on their faces.

Siris began fulfilling his duties, even before officially becoming the temporary supervisor of this village.

.....................

While the First Legion carried out the Executive Hall's orders, stationing in West Village's nearby villages, undertaking to assimilate Segestica citizens and stabilize the local situation, Priest Emmerich also arrived at a nearby village to West Village, knocking on a remote thatched house's door.

"May I ask who is it?" a hoarse male voice asked from inside.

Emmerich listened carefully before responding, "It's me, Emmerich!"